


Where Are You?

by oceanwideopen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Steve Rogers Feels, Tony Feels, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 14:00:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19725106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanwideopen/pseuds/oceanwideopen
Summary: "Where's Tony?"One-Shot. Steve wakes up seven months later after the battle and asks where Tony is.





	Where Are You?

**Author's Note:**

> If there are any spelling/grammar, please let me know because I am not the best with that.

i. Bucky

“Where’s Tony?”

Bucky doesn’t meet his eyes. He looks away and mutters something under his breath, as though he was trying to convince himself of something. He stands up, looks around the room, and heads for the door. Just before his hand reaches the handle, he pauses and tilts his head towards Steve.

“You should get some rest. I’ll be back tomorrow, Stevie.”

But Steve persists. Where’s Tony? He can’t remember. What happened to Tony? The battle was a blur in his mind, all he remembered was getting the wind knocked out of him and someone screaming in his ear. Where’s Tony? Steve promised to make everything better, to prove that he changed, that he could make things right again, that Steve could make Tony happy… Where’s Tony? He was here just a minute ago. Where is he, Buck?

“Get some rest, Stevie. You’ve been out for a while. I’ll be back later.”

ii. Sam

“Where’s Tony?”

Sam nearly hesitates. “Do you know how long you’ve been knocked out?”

“No. All I remember was the battle and then nothing.”

“You’ve been unconscious for about seven months now. It was a big blow to the head. That doctor, you know, the one with the magic, somehow saved you. He lessened the blow before we got you in here. What else do you remember?”

“Nothing – I don’t know – look, where’s Tony? We were going to talk after the battle.”

Sam rubs his hands together and takes a seat next to him. The only sound in the room was the heart monitor’s steady beeps.

“He… he’s gone, Cap.”

“What do you mean ‘gone’?” Steve asks instantly.

Sam swallows and says, “I – I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this. I’ll get someone else in here. Just hang tight, Cap.”

“Wait! No – just – just tell me what happened –“

But Sam was already out the door.

iii. Bruce

“It all happened so fast, Steve. One minute we were losing – or at least I thought we were surely going to – and the next… they were all gone. Dust in the wind. I was shocked and relieved. Until…”

Until? Steve leans forward on his bed. Until what? What happened?

“We won?” he asked, needing some clarification.

Bruce nods and when he spoke next, his voice was grave. “We won.”

Steve closed his eyes. “What was the cost?”

“Tony.”

iv. Rhodes

“Where’s Tony?”

“They never told you?” Rhodes asked, confused.

“No,” said Steve, shaking his head. “It’s been a month since I woke up. I keep asking Buck and Sam, but neither… they can’t seem to tell me the truth. Bruce said we won but at a cost and it was Tony, but that’s doesn’t mean… that doesn’t mean anything. He could be – he could be unconscious like me or – or maybe the battle took a toll on him – or he could be somewhere else, I don’t know, but he’s – he’s – where is he?”

Rhodes – no, Colonel James Rhodes of the United States Air Force stared at him from the kitchen.

“He’s dead,” he said bluntly. “He went toe-to-toe with Thanos, took the Stones, and killed all of them. Snapped them away like he snapped us. The Stones… they nearly burned half his body and we buried what was left. He died a hero, just like he always wanted – Cap!”

Steve knees give out and he clashes onto the ground with the thought of Tony’s beautiful face being torn apart and charred seared into his brain.

v. FRIDAY

“Where’s Tony?”

The AI’s voice comes in cool, as though trying to distance herself away from Steve. “I was under the impression that Colonel Rhodes told you what happened to Boss.”

“He did,” Steve’s voice is small, so incredibly small that it sounded like what it used to, before the serum. “I want… I want to go see him.”

The AI says nothing for a while. Steve looks at the ceiling, searching for the closest camera, as though it even mattered. FRIDAY was Tony’s creation and there wasn’t a single person in the whole world that could ever recreate her. And now… she has no creator, no boss, no Tony, no friend, no nothing… just like –

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He carefully reaches for it and sees a next text message.

Steve smiles at the ceiling. “Thank you, FRIDAY. I mean it, thank you.”

“Boss would want to see you again,” FRIDAY’s tone is stiff. “Goodbye, Mr. Rogers.”

vi. Tony

“Where are you, Tony?”

He searched around the cemetery, the names all a blur in his mind. He finally comes to the end of the graveyard and sees a small little gate with one of the brick pillars bearing the name _STARK._

Steve smiles. _Finally_. He pushes through and sees headstones for various Stark family members. Howard and Maria were buried together and there was a man there named Edwin Jarvis not too far away. Steve keeps going until he was finally at the edge of the graveyard and was overlooking the East River. He smiles at the sight of the Brooklyn Bridge and finally sees Tony’s tombstone a foot away from him.

It was completely fitting to find him here of all place. He did not belong in some dark corner of the world, soon to be forgotten. He belonged under the sun at the top of the hill. He deserved to overlook New York, the same city he saved multiple times. He deserved to see and be seen, and to have flowers grow around him. He deserved –

“I’m so sorry, Tony,” he whispered into the wind. “I never – I never should have left. I never should have abandoned you. I should have stayed and apologized to you in person, and we would have faced everything together, just – just like I said we would. I am so… I can’t begin to tell you how much I regret everything, how I wish I could take everything back and make it up to you because… because you deserve it, Tony. You – you deserve to grow old, Tony, and to see – see kids grow around you and to have love and be loved and I’m so sorry, Tony.”

His shoulders began to shake and his chest felt as though it was going to cave in.

“I’m so sorry, Tony. I never should have left. I should have stayed. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, Tony. I’m so sorry, please forgive me.”

Tears began to stream down his face. Steve didn’t bother wiping them from his face. It would be pointless. Instead he took a seat in front of the headstone and stared at the name in front of him. He sniffed and wiped his cheeks for a moment before his fingers slowly began to trace the _A_ and then the _N_ , _T, H, O, N_ , and finally the _Y._ He said the name multiple times and liked the way his full name rolled off his tongue.

“Anthony Edward Stark,” he said.

His voice was distant, as though it wasn’t part of him or part of the earth. Maybe Tony could hear him and maybe they were somehow still connected due to some divine intervention he could never begin to explain. Maybe… maybe their souls were crying out for each other. There were a lot of maybes running through his mind. The only thing that was for sure was that Tony laid fifty feet under him and Steve wanted to be with him.

“The best of us all,” he said quietly, his eyes blurry. “Earth’s best defender. Billionaire, brash, brilliant – hero. They will always remember you as a hero, Tony…”

He continued to talk to Tony’s headstone for hours. He talked to Tony about his mother and her quick humour, the army and his friends, Howard and his visions, how he felt the first time he met Tony, how light he felt when they first kissed after the battle in New York, and then again months later without adrenaline pumping in their ears, and how he missed Tony more than anything else in the world when he was hiding in Wakanda.

Hours later, Rhodes and Sam had to come pick him up. He didn’t realize what time it was. It was so dark outside.

“You can come back tomorrow, Steve,” said Rhodes, his voice soft.

“I’ll bring flowers,” said Steve, vague.

“He’ll like that,” said Sam and Steve can hear the pity in his voice.

“I can tell him about my day…”

“Yeah, and tell him about us,” said Rhodes, smiling at him.

“He would like that,” said Steve. “And I can tell him about Bruce and Pepper and Hap and –“

Steve licked his lips as Sam glanced at him.

“We’ll come back tomorrow, Steve,” Sam told him. “With fresh flowers and everything like that. Do you know what kind he likes?”

Steve shook his head. He never once asked.

vii. Alex

“Where’s Iron Man?”

Steve stares at the little kid who’s not even tall enough to each his knees. He just paid for a batch of pink roses at _Lulu’s Flower Stop and More_ , and this question hits him like a ton of bricks.

“What happened to Iron Man?” the kid repeats.

Steve gaps at the kid and looked down at the pink roses. “I – I – um –“

The kid keeps staring at him.

“ _Alex_!”

Steve looks up as a woman gently grabs the kid and starts reprehending him in front of Steve.

“Say sorry to the mister for bothering him,” the mother said sternly.

“It’s no bother, ma’am,” Steve said quickly. “He was just asking me a question.”

The mother did not look convinced as the boy – Alex – says, “I was asking him about Iron Man.”

The mother sighed and told Alex, “I told you already, sweetheart, Iron Man is no longer with us. He’s with grandad and uncle Ronnie. He’s gone, Alex.”

The boy starts tearing up and looks at Steve for confirmation.

“Unfortunately, Alex, your mother is right.” Steve feels like a traitor saying those words out loud. “But I can tell you where he is. I’m sure he would like if you came and visit him.”

He tells the kid and his mother where Tony’s buried and how he’s behind the Stark gates at the end. The mother merely nods along as Alex tells him that he would go and visit his favourite superhero. Steve smiles and ruffles his hair.

“Of course you would, kid. Tony would love to see you.”

A month later, the whole graveyard is covered with flowers and gifts from little children. There’s a banner placed over the gate that read: _Here Lies Iron Man, Earth’s Greatest Defender_ , and under it reads: _To Tony Stark!_

There are flowers are placed on Maria Stark’s tombstone, a badly drawn Arc Reactor on Howard’s, Iron Man masks on his grandparents, and stickers covering all but Jarvis’s name on his headstone. Then there are pictures all over the place, clippings of Tony’s achievements over the years, articles of what the Avengers had done, and next to Tony’s headstone is a picture of Iron Man and Captain America, standing side by side. This was taken shortly after the battle of New York. They were tired, but someone managed to get of photo of them smiling and sitting next to the Stark Tower.

Steve chokes up at the sight of it all. He slowly walks over to Tony, places the camellia on the headstone, and looks up at the sky.

“Wherever you are, Tony, I hope you know that you are loved, more than you can ever know.”

He walks out of the graveyard, promising himself that he would return tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after… 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't live in/around New York, so if the East River cemetery part does not exist, let's pretend it does for the sake of Tony.


End file.
